Hidden in the Heart
by Amanda Catarina
Summary: Three years from the battle against Aizen, something strange happens to Byakuya. Ichigo is anguished by the absence of Rukia, while she is longing to see him again. When they finally manage to find each other, they're faced with unexpected adversities. [Longfic - OOC]
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer_: BLEACH and all their characters belong to Kubo Tite.

* * *

**Hidden in the Heart**

**By Amanda Catarina**

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

Sitting on the veranda of her ostentatious mansion with a shamisen in her lap, Shihouin Suzumi lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes, letting her mind be filled with memories of what happened at the party hours ago.

_"My heart has been locked away from passions since Hisana died and took away the key."_

Those were the words that Kuchiki Byakuya said in response to her flirting, which culminated in a marriage of convenient proposal.

"What an arrogant fool!" she accused in a soft tone.

There was no trace of sadness in her beautiful face. She was surprised that she was not suffering from the disillusion of unrequited love. Usually, she was not so cold; however, it happened that at that moment she felt more inclined to avenge the man than to conquer him.

"Of course, I've never been the kind that runs after men, especially ones who are not in love with me," she told herself. "However, that one Kuchiki Byakuya actually managed to awaken my anger with such disregard."

Straightening her face, Suzumi stared at nothing.

"To make him be scorned by the noble families will not be enough. I want him to suffer bitterly and feel in his mouth the same sour taste that he made me feel, the taste of rejection."

After a long sigh, she began playing the shamisen skillfully. While the sound that she loved so much filled the garden bathed in moonlight, Suzumi thought about the young Kuchiki.

"He was married, but the marriage did not last five years. It's been fifty years since the poor Hisana died. And it's possible that he has not made love to her, not even once. Yes, that would explain why he did not have an heir."

Shaking the head slightly, the noble lady curved her lips in a half smirk.

"Naturally, a man could not bear so many years of abstinence if he had already experienced the pleasures that a woman can provide," she said and snorted with disdain. "That fool, I could have satisfied him very well in that."

Putting her fingers away from the strings of the instrument, she remained silent for a moment.

"His career as a captain of the Gotei 13 is what he values most and the most important person in his life is the sister, Kuchiki Rukia."

Suzumi pondered for a moment.

"The sister," she repeated, paused and narrowed her eyes. "Three years ago it was learned that this sister is not actually his, but the miserable deceased wife's. And I heard many people say that the two were very much alike."

She paused briefly, as her perverse mind envisioned a terrible ruse.

"So maybe that Rukia might be attractive enough to awaken his instincts. Yes, and how much would he dishonor the memory of the beloved Hisana if he ended up deflowering the dear little sister?"

Placing her fingers above her mouth, Suzumi smiled wickedly.

"What a great misfortune for you, Kuchiki Byakuya, that our paths have crossed."

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

It was the beginning of a rainy night. Seated on his knees on a zabuton in front of one of the elders of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya reported to him some details of the last social event of the noble families which he had participated twelve days ago.

"It was then that Miss Shihouin Suzumi made me a marriage proposal."

"Suzumi," repeated the elder thoughtfully, "I remember her, a pretty young woman, yes." There was a long pause before the man continued, "My very dear Byakuya-sama, surely you understand that a marriage with a woman of the prestigious Shihouin family would be fully supported by our clan."

"Yes, I do. And I believe that it was for the benefit of both families that this woman came to the boldness, or rather, to the inconvenience of making such a proposal."

"Certainly, my lord," the elder concurred, rejoiced at the news.

"Nevertheless, I refused."

After having stared at the younger man for a long moment, the old man nodded.

"I absolutely respect your decision, my lord, but I must still say that it would give the clan immense satisfaction if you, our leader, should decide to remarry soon."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," he returned sharply. "Mitsunori-san, there is one more reason why I called you here. I would like you to send a gift to Miss Shihouin, as privately as possible, to apologize for my refusal because I sense that she may try to defame our clan out of spite."

"Yes, my lord. All precautions will be taken so that it won't happen."

After an appropriate reverence and a brief farewell the old man withdrew. Somewhat later, the young lord also walked to his bedroom.

Sitting on the wooden floor, leaning against the wall, Byakuya began to think about his life's delicate situation.

"How can I fulfill my desires without betraying the clan's interests?" he wondered.

He knew it was impossible, since the family was pressuring him to provide an heir even though he did not wish to marry any woman. He might have gotten away with Suzumi's proposal, but sooner or later, he would have to take a wife, preferably a noble one.

"Hisana, your death clouded my life."

* * *

Rukia woke up earlier than usual. After thinking for a moment, she decided to get up and enjoy the extra time of nearly an hour to take a hike. And she also thought maybe she could visit her brother and even have breakfast with him.

She walked the perimeter of her division, quietly observing the people who were beginning their activities in that early day, which from its appearance, could be sunny. She came to the square, outside the boundaries of the 13th Division, when she saw some familiar faces of Madarame Ikkaku and Abarai Renji.

Madarame, always fussy, spoke so loudly that even from a distance, Rukia could hear him perfectly:

"At that time, Ichigo beat me easily, but if I fought him today, things would be different!"

"Sure, sure," Renji shrugged. "As if you had gotten any stronger since then. Oh yeah, before he needed one minute to defeat you. Now, how long will he need? One second?"

"What?" snapped the bald. "Say that again, you pineapple head!"

Rukia nodded to the two, earning herself a large smile from the red-haired man, which she returned the same way and then moved forward. Naturally, the conversation she heard made her think of Ichigo.

Aizen Sousuke's plan to create the King's Key in Karakura Town had been foiled, but there was no undisputed evidence that the terrible enemy, former captain of 5th Division, was dead. Even so, both the Soul Society and the human world enjoyed the relative peace. For this reason, it had been a while since Rukia last saw Ichigo. After all, there was no excuse for them to meet.

"How is he doing now?" she murmured to herself and couldn't stop an image of him smiling at her from appearing in her mind. Trying not to think about the past, she sighed wistfully.

The war with Aizen always kept them in a state of alert, but on the rare lulls, she came to want to belong to the human world so that she could live a whole other life next to Ichigo. She would live in the clinic with his family, would actually be his classmate. After school, they would go to fun places such as gambling houses, pastry shops, parks, stores... Rukia laughed at herself and quicken her pace as she brushed the thought aside. Even so, she was forced to acknowledge that she really missed Ichigo.

After some time, she arrived to the Kuchiki mansion.

"I can imagine what he would say if I was there: 'Have you shrunk or I've grown even taller?'", she fantasized, lowering her head with fists clenched and her eyes looking down, which was why she bumped into a portly man who was one of the servants of the mansion.

"Oh, my apologies!" she said immediately.

"Rukia-san!" the man exclaimed. "Oh, don't worry about me. It was my fault that I was distracted. Good to see you here!" He said friendlily.

After a simple smile, she announced:

"I came to see Byakuya-nii-sama. Is he still here?"

"Yes, he is. He is by the lake."

"Oh, thank you."

* * *

Two girls who were walking slowly toward a college stopped next to a medical clinic's wall, when they caught a sight of a shirtless, muscular young man stretching by the upstairs window.

"Hello, gorgeous!" quipped one of the girls.

"Are you the nurse? Because I got sick!" joked the other.

Ichigo just gave them a laugh before he stepped away from the window.

"If I had a body like yours, I would wake up early everyday to show it off," Kon commented.

Without responding, Ichigo searched for his uniform. Then, with the change of clothes on his shoulder, he approached the cabinet drawers and opened one of them, looking for a pair of socks. It was then that he saw, there lost among his things, a bottle of gikongan whose lid was a bunny head.

"How did it get here?" he wondered and laughed, looking at the object.

"What's this?" Kon asked.

In response, the young man shook the bottle in front of the stuffed lion.

"That thing can only belong to Nee-san."

"I know, but why was it there?"

Kon shrugged.

Ichigo left the object on the desk and then he left the bedroom, heading for the bathroom.

"It's been so long since I last saw her," Ichigo thought, now under the shower. "Can I use that bottle as an excuse to appear in Soul Society? It would be nice if they could let me go there just to pay a visit. Why can't they just let me?"

While he rinsed the shampoo, he chided himself for those questions, but soon he admitted that the effort of trying not to think about Rukia was in vain. He was surprised that sometimes he wished that Aizen would come back just so he could see her.

Although he wanted to see Rukia, he could no longer treat her as before. Three years ago, he was not troubled by the fact that he had to share his bedroom with her for a month. He did not care that his classmates assumed they were together nor did he mind when she rode on his backs. Of course, then he was just a kid.

But now he was eighteen. Most of his friends were already dating, while he remained single despite all the declarations of love he received through letters or in person, or through chocolates and gifts or all the flirtations he got from all the college girls. Although his mind stayed indifferent to all those flirting; it was not easy to keep his body from reacting to them.

Even so, what actually cause Ichigo to lose sleep was not knowing if Rukia realized he was looking at her in a different way now. Did she really not notice or simply just pretend not to know the way he looked at each of her gestures, the way he looked at her body, her lips...

Leaning the head on the tile, he took a deep breath, trying to normalize the heartbeat that was already beginning to accelerate.

"Pervert!" he cursed himself, turning off the shower then.

* * *

"Rukia?" she heard Byakuya suddenly call her name, so she looked to his direction. "Your face looks sad to me", he continued in his usual impassive tone.

Disconcerted, for a split second, she thought she would never get used to that cold way of his.

"Perhaps it's only an impression, nii-sama."

"Is there anything troubling you?" he pressed on.

"Absolutely not."

"Very well, then tell me about your progress in the 13th Division," he asked without modify his tone, changing the subject totally.

"Since the battle against Aizen, I got promoted to a third seat and this is where I stand so far."

"A good improvement. Your captain is missing a lot for not promoting you to a lieutenant."

"That's true, I know," she nodded with a nostalgic air, because the mention the office of lieutenant brought her mind to the late Shiba Kaien, who was the last lieutenant of her division.

"Keep striving," advised Byakuya.

"Yes, nii-sama."

Looking at him from the corner, Rukia tried to find a trace of emotion on his face, but he looked like a marble statue. But even so, she enjoyed being in the presence of Byakuya. Inexplicably he transmitted to her a unique sense of comfort and security.

"It's time for me to go already," she said, rising from the low table.

"It was good of you to come."

"It's a pleasure to spend time with you, nii-sama," she returned sincerely and smiled at him, who gave to her a slight nod of his head.

Rukia was walking toward the door, but she turned around when she heard him say:

"I need an officer just below the level of lieutenant go to the real world for investigation and possible data collection."

At first, she was surprised by the comment, but then she was appalled at the thought that he had discovered, just looking at her, that she was missing Ichigo.

"Coincidentally," continued Byakuya, "my third seat will leave today with the lieutenant Renji in another mission."

If she were not in his presence, she would have jumped in joy. It was the opportunity she had been waiting for, so she would not miss it for anything.

"I think that Capitan Ukitake will not object if I go."

"Well, so be it. Just come back later for me to pass you all the information."

"Yes, nii-sama!" she exclaimed, excited.

Byakuya almost smiled at the sight of satisfaction on her face, but soon he stood up too and then he left the room even before his visitor.

So soon, Rukia left the Kuchiki mansion, happy and undecided if her brother was very sensitive or if he was only trying to help her in her career as a shinigami. Extremely happy, she returned to her division, trying to keep the mind focused on the mission without thinking of the possibility of seeing Ichigo very soon.

But Rukia would never know the details of that mission because at the moment her feet reached to the road leading to the square, her eyes were overshadowed by a huge shadow and afterward she saw nothing.

**To be continued...**

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**N/A:** Hello, everybody! This chapter is only the beginning of a project for translating my Bleach fanfic, posted here on Fanfiction Net website, in Portuguese, since January 2010 until December 2011, under the title "Escondida no Coração." This job is being done with the help of ficwriter Amaratta, who has very kindly agreed to do the beta-reading. Once again, Amaratta, I just can't thank you enough for all your help!

And I must warn you guys that by making this work I hope to improve my (poor) English, while getting an opportunity to share my fanfics with people from other countries, which is my main goal.

**Other Notes.**

Suzumi Shihouin is a OC character.

**Japanese Terms:**

Shamisen: It is a three-stringed musical instrument, similar to a banjo.

Zabuton: It is a Japanese cushion to sit on.

Gikongan: That means "Artificial Soul Pill" and also called Soul Candy. The pill forces the soul out of the body and allows the Artificial Soul, Gikon in Japanese, to take control of it, operating in a pre-programmed manner until removed by the Shinigami. The Soul Candy is contained in toy dispensers, which have the heads of cartoon characters on them. (Source: Bleach Wiki)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Rukia blinked twice. The first thing she came to realize once her eyes came to focus was that she was lying on a futon under a wooden roof. She felt terrible and aching like she had taken a beating. Even as she tried to find out where she was, her head hurt as if it was going to explode.

"Oh, you finally woke up."

Rukia heard a female voice, so she turned her head slightly to where it came from. Then, she saw a woman with pale skin, green eyes and long straight black hair bending over her.

The woman then continued, "You gave us a fright."

"Suzumi-san? she asked, uncertain.

"Yes, that's me. Why? Are you expecting someone else, Rukia-chan?"

Rukia shook her head in denial before she pushed herself up to sit on the futon and asked, "What happened?"

"I see. You don't remember. It makes sense. We were gathered in a tea ceremony, when you suddenly fainted."

"I fainted?"

"You did. Just right when Captain Kuchiki was speaking. He was so worried."

Pressing her hand on her head, Rukia repeated, "Captain Kuchiki?"

Rukia was intrigued by the way the name seemed to echo in her mind; however, before she could begin to understand why, her concentration was broken and she had to blush at the worried glance that Suzumi was giving her.

"You don't seem to fully recover yet," said the black-haired woman. "So get some rest. I'll be out, but I'll come back later today."

With that said, Suzumi stood up.

Seeing Suzumi's graceful guesture, Rukia nodded. After the lady was gone, she laid back into the futon and closed her eyes, thinking that she really should rest.

* * *

In the afternoon of the same day, Rukia was taking a walk in the garden of the Shihouin family's showy mansion. She thought about what had happened the day before, especially about that man, Captain Kuchiki.

Suzumi had insisted that Rukia accompany her to the tea ceremony although she had little understanding of the matters that would be discussed there. Including that time, she had only met Captain Kuchiki twice, and in both occasions, all they did was exchanging greetings. Although she thought that he was very handsome and that he seemed proud and polite, something about him still bothered her.

"His eyes are so cold and intimidating," she recalled.

She smoothed the fine fabric of her three-layered kimono which features a pattern of plum blossoms before she sat down under the shade of a tall tree. Then she rested her head against the trunk of the tree and closed her eyes, not knowing that all her actions were being observed.

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya, one of the captains of Gotei 13 and the 28th head of the Kuchiki clan, was hiding in a distance, attentively watching each of the young lady Rukia's gestures.

"She doesn't seem ill like she was yesterday," he thought to himself.

At the moment he saw her lie down on the grass and then bend herself until she as almost in a fetal position; he became worried that she might have another attack and almost rushed to her. However, since he was told that the owner of the house was absent, he stopped himself.

"It would not be proper for me to appear there now," he thought, still looking at the lady. Then, to his relief, he noticed that she was just enjoying the quiet atmosphere of the garden and the warmth of the sunlight that shone through the leaves of the tree.

Therefore, Byakuya remained there and watch her for much longer than he should have. He then convinced himself that he needed to go and left just as stealthily as he had come.

* * *

It was night in the human world. Ichigo was in the kitchen of his house, having a sandwich, when a spiritual presence left him in a state of alert. Shortly after he put his snack in the refrigerator and decided it was better to go investigate, his sister Karin arrived there.

"Ichi-nii, do you see my skates?" she asked.

"Of course not."

"My... I'm sure I left them here," she said and then she looked at her brother, who pulled the device that he used to change to the shinigami form out of his pocket. Seeing so, she asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I am. I'm feeling a strange presence."

"Since when can you feel these things?" she asked, half doubtful, half teasing.

"I've no idea," he replied quietly. "Please, leave my body right here, I shouldn't be gone for too long."

Karin nodded, watching him changed into his spiritual body before he went out through the back door.

"Oh, I thought I heard the oniichan's voice," Yuzu commented when she arrived there.

"He was here, but he's just left for work," Karin explained, nibbling a cookie.

"For work? I see. That's just an excuse. He's going to try to find that darling of his, that one Kuchiki-san."

Noticing how grumpy Yuzu's face was, Karin couldn't help but laugh.

"That's weird. When you were younger, it was Rukia-chan this, Rukia-chan that. Now you only call her "Kuchiki-san". Why so jealous, huh? You silly."

"Karin, unlike me, you never cared what kind of person our brother has been involved."

"Of course! Hello? He is the older brother. Besides, you're worrying for nothing. Those two are slower than a sleepy turtle. At this rate, I'll get a boyfriend before they first kiss."

"What world are you living in? You haven't seen our oniichan sighing for Kuchiki-san day and night?" Yuzu replied in a melodramatic tone.

"Come on! Instead of being so worried about the slowness of our brother, why don't you have a dating with Jinta instead, huh?"

"What? Are you crazy, Karin!" she shouted. "Jinta is my best friend!"

"Yes, he is. However, he is also your biggest fan," the other teased.

"Karin!" she exclaimed and turned red with anger.

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving. Don't get angry with me too."

* * *

After he defeated a hollow and almost arrived to the border of the neighboring district, Ichigo felt puzzled. He stopped on a terrace of a building to look at his tracker and try to interpret the number which was shown on the device.

"No Arrancar was here, but an ordinary hollow couldn't have left a trace like that."

Slightly later, he gave up on trying to find an explanation. Then, he thought he should contact Soul Society. Using a soul mobile that Urahara had left with him, he made a call.

"Soul Society, Saito speaking. How can I help you?" said an attendant on the other side of line.

"Hello, this is the Kurosaki Ichigo, the shinigami daikou-"

The attendant cut off him, "I'm sorry, did you say shimigami daikou?"

"Yes, I did," Ichigo responded, noting strangeness in the attendant's voice.

"Sorry, but could you repeat your name, please?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he said, then added after a pause, "Shinigami daikou of Karakura Town."

"Please wait a minute while I check."

Ichigo waited for much more than one minute.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there is no shinigami daikou for the Karakura Town in our database."

"How come?" Ichigo asked, angry. "Listen, this isn't a call that anyone could do, right?"

"That's right, sir."

"So?" he pressed, impatient.

"So, I'm asking you to wait one more minute while I-"

"Give me a break!" he cut off the attendant. "I'll call back later. Until then, you'd better thoroughly check your database."

"Yes, sir."

After he heard the confirmation, Ichigo ended the call.

"Soul Society is such a mess."

Jumping over buildings, Ichigo made his way back home. He was more puzzled than before when a thought crossed his mind.

"But it's not a bad idea to go there to deliver the data," he said to himself, thinking it was a better excuse to see Rukia than just using that Chappy's gikongan bottle.

* * *

Seeing that the servant left the room after she had left a tray of tea and candies, the noblewoman, Shihouin Suzumi smiled cordially to her guest and announced:

"I'm glad see you again, Kuchiki-sama."

"Thank you, Suzumi-san. I apologize for coming to bother you at this time."

"Don't worry about it. It's not so late yet."

"I was here earlier, but your servants informed me that you were absent."

"And would you believe me if I told you that I went to visit your grandfather, Ginrei-dono at that time? Which means, you came to the Shihouin's mansion just when I was heading to the Kuchiki's mansion."

"What a strange coincidence!"

"That's true. Anyway, what brings you here again, my lord?"

"Suzumi-san, the reason of my visit is to ask about the health condition of Miss Shihouin Rukia. Is she feeling better?"

"Oh, my dear sir, you must be very worried about her to have come here twice just to ask about her condition."

"I am."

Suzumi smiled at him and said, "Well, Rukia's maid told me that she was very well during the day; however, just now she complained that she still felt a little dizzy. So I told her to lie down and rest, or otherwise she would be here with us right now."

"It's sad to know that."

He kept an inexpressive expression as he pondered whether he should tell the lady about what he had in mind.

However, before he could decide, the noblewoman interrupted his thought by saying, "Well, I'm contemplating calling a doctor here to examine her."

Having finally made up his mind, Byakuya remarked, "Suzumi-san, I have a theory of what might have been wrong with Rukia-san."

"Really, my lord? And what would that be?"

"I think Rukia-san's soul may have reacted to my spiritual energy, which led to a manifestation of her own energy. I cannot think of any other reason for a person to be in the same condition that she is."

Rather than a surprise, Suzumi's face showed a fright.

"Rukia-chan's spiritual energy? No, it can't be. As I told you, Rukia-chan was born in a poor district of Rukongai. If she had a latent spiritual energy, I would have detected that by myself."

"Certainly, my lady; however, some unexpected factor may have caused her ability to stay hidden, and the contact with my spiritual energy, may have triggered hers."

Suzumi stared at the captain for a moment, visibly disconcerted. She then replied, "Well, it is true that Rukia does not often get to be in the presence of a captain of Gotei 13."

"So I feel totally responsible for that."

"But you shouldn't feel that way, my lord."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that. Suzumi-san, would there be any problem if I take Rukia-san to the 4th Division for examination?"

As the noblewoman did not answer immediately, he added, "Of course, I am not saying that you do not have competent doctors here, but this may be related to spiritual energy, so the experts of the 4th Division can supply us a more detailed report."

"Without doubt."

The captain continued, "I can ask Captain Unohana to personally examine her."

"Oh, no, there's no need for that. I don't want to bother you, much less Unohana-sama."

"I think Capitan Unohana can make this an exception. As for me, this isn't a bother at all. In fact, this is something I should do for the sake of the good friendship that our families share."

"Then I can only be thankful for your concern, my lord," she said shyly. Then with a thoughtful look, she asked, "Kuchiki-sama, if it's proved that she possesses spiritual energy, Rukia will have to be taken away from me. Am I right?"

Despite the sadness in the noblewoman's voice, he responded, "Yes. As unhappy as it is, there is no other way. Even if Rukia-san doesn't become a shinigami, at least she will have to enter the Shinou Academy in order to learn how to control her spiritual energy. You should know that it wouldn't do well for the person or the person around them if a spiritual energy is uncontrolled."

"Yes, I do."

Seeing that she was upset, he decided to calm her by saying, "However, those are mere suppositions. We cannot be certain until after Rukia-san is examined."

Suzumi nodded, and a moment later, she asked, "When would you like to take her to 4th Division?"

"If you agree, I'll personally come to take Rukia-san there in a couple of days."

It took a while until the noblewoman answered, "That's fine for me. The sooner we know, the better."

Satisfied, he nodded.

"So, we have an agreement." After that, he stood up and said, "Now it's time for me to go already."

"Thank you so much for your visit, Kuchiki-sama."

"My pleasure. Have a good night, Suzumi-san."

"You too, Kuchiki-sama."

Since he had already turned his back to her, Suzumi could not see the faint smile that drew on his lips.

* * *

Somewhat later, in a meeting room of Kuchiki mansion, Byakuya was talking to the elder Mistsunori, who was his adviser and confidant.

"Suzumi-san looks a little hesitant, but she agreed in the end," Byakuya reported.

The old man just nodded, so the younger man continued:

"The background of that young woman is fascinating. Suzumi herself had told me herself that fifty years ago, Suzumi suffered an attack and almost died in Rukongai. Rukia, who was a child at the time, saved her and hid her in an old hut."

"Those Rukongai's districts are lawless lands," the elder said in a drawl.

"That's true. When Suzumi was rescued by the ninjas of the Shihouin clan, she wanted to bring Rukia with her, but since that Suzumi was still very young at the time, the clan did not allow her to adopt the poor girl. However, Suzumi didn't want to have Rukia as a servant either, after all, she had saved her life."

"Suzumi-san has always been recognized for her generosity."

Byakuya nodded and said, "She made sure that Rukia was instructed and educated in order for her to be able to behave like an authentic noblewoman before she introduced Rukia to the clan. It hasn't been ten years since Rukia starts living in Suzumi's house."

"This is a really uncommon story, Byakuya-sama."

"Yes, it is," the leader agreed, "Rukia-san is like a rare flower," he said, unable to hide the fascination that gripped him.

"My lord seems to be very interested," the old man said heartily.

"Yes, I am. Unlike my late wife, Hisana, there are only a few people who know about Rukia's poor origin and she is already inserted in a noble family—one of the four great families of Seireitei, no less."

"Without a doubt that will facilitate things for you, my lord."

"Absolutely. And I intend to use everything that is in my power to reach my goals."

The conversation continued for a while. When the elder excused himself, Byakuya continued making plans in his bedroom. There are times when he didn't feel so elated, so alive. That one Rukia awakened the feelings in him that he had not felt in so long. She was so lovely and very much alike his beloved Hisana, but she had her own shine. He longed to know her better, to earn her trust, and to conquer her heart.

He only felt sorry for Suzumi. Forcing situations had never been his style, but the circumstances were so favorable that he could not waste the opportunity to approach the young woman who had made his heart beat stronger.

Moreover, there was no untruth in the suppositions he had presented to Suzumi, opportunism, maybe, but not a lie. Rukia could possess spiritual energy. However, whether it was true or not, he didn't mind at all. If he were to eventually marry her - and that was what he had in his mind - he would never allow her to take part in any battles.

Leaving his bedroom and coming to his private garden, Byakuya looked at the moon in the middle of the sky.

"I can't wait for our next meeting, Rukia."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**A/N**: Yes, still is the same fic. If I jumped any part? No, really. What happened so? Who knows?

Hi you guys! Thanks to all who followed this fic! Again I had great help from **Amaratta** for the translation of this chapter. Thanks also to my dear **velvetsins** and to **NieveDrop** by reviews sent, and to **Zitag** by the kindness to dispose yourself to help me. I hope you enjoyed. If one of you found mistakes, please let me know. Reviews are welcome. Till next time!


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